was a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''Asuka'' (1999), ''Pride'' (2004), ''

FlashForward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...

'' (2009), and ''

Miss Sherlock ''Miss Sherlock'' (ミス・シャーロック) is a female-led adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. The show is primarily set in Tokyo, Japan. It is a co-production between HBO Asia and Hulu Japan. Both the m ...

'' (2018) as well as films such as ''

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

'' (1998), ''

Yomigaeri is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Akihiko Shiota that released theatrically on 18 January 2003. It features Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (of the pop group SMAP) and Yūko Takeuchi in the lead role. Plot Set in the city of Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, the ...

'' (2003), and ''Dog in a Sidecar'' (2007).

Life and career

Takeuchi was born on 1 April 1980 in

Urawa, Saitama was a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. On May 1, 2001, Urawa was merged with the cities of Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya and Yono, Saitama, Yono to create the city of Saitama, Saitama, Saitama. Since April 1, 2003, the area ...

, Japan. She was "discovered" during spring break in Harajuku after junior high school. Takeuchi was married to Shidō Nakamura II (who had co-starred with Takeuchi in the film '' Be With You'') from 10 May 2005 until their divorce on 29 February 2008. She had a son with Nakamura who was born in November 2005. Prior to the couple's divorce, Nakamura had apologized for a drunk driving incident where he was with actress

Aya Okamoto is a Japanese actress. Filmography * '' School Ghost Stories'' (1995) as Kaori Komuro * '' Ogyā'' (2002) Hana * ''Azumi'' (2003) Yae * '' Munraito jierifisshu'' (2004) Minamida Keiko * '' Metasequoia no ki no shita de'' (2005) Okamoto Sachiko ...

and later seen with actress

Saki Takaoka is a Japanese actress. Her uncle is the jazz pianist Yōsuke Yamashita. She won the award for best actress at the 19th Hochi Film Award for ''Crest of Betrayal''. Filmography Film * ''cf girl'' (''cfガール'', 1989) * ''Swimming Upstream' ...

. After the drunk driving incident, Takeuchi reportedly moved to live in her management office shortly before filing for divorce in October 2006. Takeuchi married actor Taiki Nakabayashi on 27 February 2019. Her son, in junior high school at the time was reported to have actively encouraged her second marriage. In November 2019, she announced she was pregnant and gave birth to her second son in January 2020. Takeuchi was known for her earlier roles, starring in

Japanese television dramas , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama series including Romance ...

such as ''Mukodono'' (My Husband), ''

Lunch no Joō is a Japanese drama series aired in Japan on Fuji TV in 2002. It stars Yūko Takeuchi, Yōsuke Eguchi, Satoshi Tsumabuki, and Shinichi Tsutsumi. Synopsis Season 1 (2002) Natsumi loves lunchtime and food. Nothing excites her more than to wa ...

'' (The Queen of Lunch), ''Egao No Hōsoku'', and ''

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

'', as well as

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

Asadora , colloquially known as , is a serialized, 15 minutes per episode, Japanese television drama program series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The first such series aired in 1961 with the black-and-white , starring Take ...

television series ''Asuka''. In the romantic comedies ''Mukodono'', she and Nagase Tomoya played newlyweds and in ''Lunch no Joō'', she played a girl with a mysterious past who loves her lunch. In drama ''Egao no Hōsoku'', her character experiences meeting new people while supporting a manga writer and in ''Pride'', her character is the love interest of a hockey player portrayed by

Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...

. Takeuchi's earlier films include ''Hoshi Ni Negaiwo'', ''

'', and '' Be with You'' (''Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu''). Her performances in ''Yomigaeri'' (2003)'', Be With You'' (2004), and Spring Snow'' ''(2005)'' ''were recognized by the

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

.'' ''She later won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Japanese Academy Awards for her role in the 2014 film'' ''

Cape Nostalgia is a 2014 Japanese drama film directed by Izuru Narushima. It was released on October 11. The film is based on the novel by Akio Morisawa. Cast *Sayuri Yoshinaga * Hiroshi Abe *Yūko Takeuchi *Shōfukutei Tsurube II , born , is a Japanese ...

.'' In 2010, Takeuchi appeared on the science fiction American TV serial ''

'' in two episodes (as a character portrayed in five). Director

Michael Nankin Michael Nankin (born December 26, 1955) is an American film and television writer, director and producer. He has been nominated for the Humanitas Prize for his writing. Career Nankin's film career began in 1976 with a short film called ''Grav ...

called her "Japan's answer to

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...

." Takeuchi's dialogue was in Japanese, but she said the experience caused her to make it a goal to master English as she wished she had been able to communicate better with the other cast members and crew. In 2018, Takeuchi portrayed the titular character in

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

HBO Asia HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, based out of Singapore. It was originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, later rebranding on 1 June 1995 to its current name after being purchased by Home Box Office, Inc. The Singapore-based broad ...

series ''

'', an adaptation of

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

detective stories.

Death

On 27 September 2020 at 2:00a.m. ( JST), Takeuchi was found hanged at her home in

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. She was taken to the hospital, but died shortly afterwards. No suicide note has been found. She was 40 years old.

Filmography

Television

* ''Cyborg'' (1996 Fuji TV) * ''Nice Guy'' (1997 Fuji TV) * ''Shin-D'' (1997 NTV) * ''Frozen Summer'' (1998 NTV) as Junko Moriguchi * ''Setsunai'' (1998 TV Asahi) * ''Dangerous Police Forever'' (1998 NTV) as Asuka Fubuki * ''Kantaro Terauchi's Family in autumn 1998'' (1998 TBS) as Misuzu Kawachi * ''Nanisama'' (1998 TBS) as Yuri Kimura * ''

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'' (1999 NTV) as Kotoe Kurasawa * ''Asuka'' (1999 NHK

) as Asuka Miyamoto * ''Friends'' (2000 TBS) as Miyuki Matsuno * ''Stories of 100 Years'' in episode 2 (2000 TBS) as Toshiko Nagai * ''Style!'' (2000 TV Asahi) as Shiori Sakakibara * ''A White Shadow'' (2001 TBS) as Noriko Shimura * ''Mukodono!'' (2001 Fuji TV) as Sakura Arai * ''School Teacher'' (2001 TBS) as Motoko Asakura * ''

'' (2002 Fuji TV) as Natsumi Mugita * ''The Law of the Smile'' (2003 TBS) as Yumi Kurasawa * ''Autumn in Warsaw'' (2003 YTV) as Yoko Aoki * ''

'' (2004 Fuji TV) as Aki Murase * ''New York Love Story'' (2004 Fuji TV) as Eiko Fujikura * ''Fukigen na Jiin (The Selfish Gene)'' (2005) as Yoshiko Aoi * ''

Bara no nai Hanaya is a Japanese television drama. It is broadcast and produced by Fuji Television. Drama started with a 22.4% (Kanto Region) rating on January 14, 2008. Plot Eiji Shiomi is a florist. He is a single man with a young daughter named Shizuku. One day ...

'' (2008) as Miou Shirato * ''

'' (2009 ABC) as Keiko Arahida * ''Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku'' (2010) as Shiori Kitamura * '' Strawberry Night'' (2012) as Reiko Himekawa * ''cheap flight'' (2013) * ''

Sanada Maru The was a small fortification attached to Osaka castle. It is famous for being impregnable and playing a key role in defending the castle in the winter of 1615. Later, it was forcefully destroyed despite being exempt from the reconciliation con ...

'' (2016 NHK) as

Yodo-dono or (1569 – June 4, 1615) was a prominently placed figure in the late-Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Oichi and sister of Ohatsu and Oeyo. She was a concubine and second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was then the most powerful man ...

* ''Kamoshirenai Joyū tachi'' (2016 Fuji TV) as herself * ''A Life'' (2017 TBS) as Mifuyu Danjō * ''

'' (2018 Hulu, HBO) as Sara “Sherlock” Shelly Futaba (

) * ''Innocent Days'' (2018 Wowow) as Yukino Tanaka * ''Queen'' (2019 Fuji TV)

Film

* ''Innocent World'' (1998) – Ami * ''

'' (1998) – Tomoko Oishi * ''Big Show! Sing in Hawaii'' (1999) – Satomi Takahashi * ''Night of the Shooting Star'' (2003) – Kana Aoshima * ''

'' (2003) – Aoi Tachibana * ''

Heaven's Bookstore is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Tetsuo Shinohara about a struggling classical pianist who is sent to heaven to work in a bookstore. It is based on two novels, written by Atsushi Matsuhisa and Wataru Tanaka. Plot Kenta (Tetsuji Tamayama), ...

- The Light of Love'' (2004) – Shoko Hiyama / Kanako Nagase * '' Be with You'' (2004) – Mio Aio * '' Spring Snow'' (2005) – Satoko Ayakura * ''A Dog on Sidecar'' (2007) – Yōko * ''The World According to Chocolat'' (2007) – Chocolat * ''Closed Note'' (2007) – Ibuki Mano * ''

Midnight Eagle is a 2007 action film directed by Izuru Narushima and written by Yasuo Hasegawa and Kenzaburo Iida, based on the novel by Tetsuo Takashima. ''Midnight Eagle'' is the third film directed by Izuru Narushima. The film opened in the United States on ...

'' (2007) – Keiko Arisawa * ''The Glorious Team Batista'' (2008) – Kimiko Taguchi * ''The Triumphant of General Rouge'' (2009) – Kimiko Taguchi * '' No More Cry'' (2009) – Tetsuko Yamagishi * ''Golden Slumbers'' (2010) – Haruko Higuchi * ''Flowers'' (2010) – Kaoru * '' 1,778 Stories of Me and My Wife'' (2011) – Setsuko * ''

A Ghost of a Chance , also known as ''Once In a Blue Moon'' in Japan, is a 2011 Japanese comedy mystery film directed by Kōki Mitani. Plot Emi Hosho, a third-rate lawyer without much of a future, is tasked with defending Goro Yabe, a man arrested for the murder of ...

'' (2011) * ''Hayabusa'' (2011,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

) – Megumi * ''

'' (2014) * ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'' (2016) – Yasuko Takakura * ''

The Magnificent Nine is a 2016 Japanese jidaigeki samurai comedy film directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura. It was released in Japan by Shochiku on May 14, 2016. The original story is collected by "Unsung Heroes of Old Japan" written by , a record of the townspeople who ...

'' (2016) – Toki * ''

The Inerasable is a 2015 Japanese horror mystery film directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura and starring Yūko Takeuchi. The film is based on ', a horror novel by Fuyumi Ono. It had its world premiere at the , where it was in competition, on October 25, 2015. The film ...

'' (2016) – I * ''The Travelling Cat Chronicles'' (2018) * ''The Confidence Man JP: The Movie'' (2019) * '' A Long Goodbye'' (2019) * ''The 47 Ronin in Debt'' (2019) – Riku * ''The Confidence Man JP: Episode of the Princess'' (2020)

Other

Narrator

* Wonderful Spaceship Earth (2002 TV Asahi) * If the World is 100 Villages 6 (2009 TV Fuji) * The Nonfiction (2010 TV Fuji) * Eko's manners (2011 BS Asahi)

Dubbing roles

*'' Inside Out'' - Joy *''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' (2001 Fuji TV edition) - Rose DeWitt Bukater (

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

)

Works

Essay

* Nioi Fechi (2004 Pia) * Nioi Fechi 2 calorie off (2006 Pia)

Photo essay

* Tabibon (travel diary of

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

) (2007 SDP)

Supplies-of-provisions catalog

* Takeuchi Marche

Single

* Tada Kaze Wa Fukukara (1998

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...

)

Awards and nominations

Awards

* 2001: 9th Hashida Best Newcomer Award * 2001: 31st the Television Drama Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress for ''Gakkou no Sensei'' * 2002: 34th the Television Drama Academy Award: Best Actress for '' Lunch no Joou'' * 2002: 26th

Élan d'or Award The are awards presented annually by the All Nippon Producers Association (ANPA) in Japan to recognize outstanding achievements in domestic motion pictures and television. The first ceremony was held in 1956. Up until 1960, the Elan d'or Awards ...

: Newcomer of the Year * 2002-2003: 6th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actress for '' Lunch no Joou'' * 2004: 13th Japan Movie Critics Award: Best Actress for ''

'' * 2005: 22nd Wakayama Citizen Movie festival: Best Actress for '' Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu'' * 2005: 9th NIFTY Film Award: Best Actress for '' Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu'' * 2005: Movie Walker Cinema Award: Best Actress for '' Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu'' * 2003-2004: 7th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actress for ''

'' * 2007: Osaka Movie Press Club Best Movie Award: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' * 2007: 20th

Nikkan Sports Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the ''Nikkan Sports''. Categories *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Film, Best Film *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Foreign Film, Best Foreign Film *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director ...

: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' * 2007: 31st Fumiko Yamaji Award: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' * 2008: 81st

Kinema Junpo Award , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'', ''Closed Note'', and ''

'' * 2008: 17th Japan Movie Critics Award: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' * 2008:

Yahoo! Japan is a Japanese internet company originally formed as a joint venture between the American internet company Yahoo! (later divested by Verizon into Altaba) and the Japanese company SoftBank. It is headquartered at Kioi Tower in the Tokyo Garden Terr ...

Katteni Movie Award: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' and ''Closed Note'' * 2008: 56th the Television Drama Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress for ''

'' * 2010: 66th the Television Drama Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress for ''Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku''

Nominations

* 2003:

27th Japan Academy Prize The is the 27th edition of the ''Japan Academy Film Prize'', an award presented by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association to award excellence in filmmaking. It awarded the best 2003 in film, films of 2003 and it took place on February 20, 2004 at the ...

: Best Actress for ''

'' * 2003: 46th

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

: Best Actress for ''

'',''Hoshi ni Negai wo'' * 2004: 28th Japan Academy Prize: Best Actress for '' Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu'' * 2004: 47th Blue Ribbon Awards: Best Actress for '' Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu'',''

'' * 2004: 14th

Tokyo Sports Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the ''Tokyo Sports''. Categories There are following categories: *Best Film *Best Actor * Best Actress * Best Supporting Actor * Best Supporting Actress * Best Director * Best Newcomer * Best Foreig ...

: Best Actress for '' Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu'' * 2004-2005: 8th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actress for ''Fukigen na Gene'' * 2005: 29th Japan Academy Prize: Best Actress for '' Haru no Yuki'' * 2007: 50th Blue Ribbon Awards: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' * 2007: 17th Tokyo Sports Film Award: Best Actress for ''Sidecar ni Inu'' * 2009: 34th

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. ...

: Best Actress for ''The Triumphant of General Rouge'' * 2010: 35th Hochi Film Award: Best Supporting Actress for ''Golden Slumbers'' * 2011: 36th Hochi Film Award: Best Actress for ''

Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis. ''Hayabusa'', formerly known as MUSES-C ...

'' and '' 1,778 Stories of Me and My Wife''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Takeuchi, Yuko 1980 births 2020 deaths 2020 suicides 20th-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese actresses Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses People from Saitama (city) Japanese expatriates in the United States Stardust Promotion artists Asadora lead actors Suicides by hanging in Japan Suicides in Tokyo Female suicides